Falling
by Miss Spiritual Slut
Summary: An old friendship might be restored as two people’s paths cross yet again. Literati.
1. Memory Lane

**Rating: **PG-13

**Spoilers:** Season 2, especially some events in "Teach Me Tonight" and "Lorelai's Graduation Day".

**Disclaimer:** Most characters, places and shindigs belong to Amy Sherman-Palladino. Some characters are made ups. Title inspired by Nsync's "Falling". 

**Summary:** Jess never came back from New York after the accident. 4 years later, the two run into each other again.

"Memory Lane" 

She was walking down the noisy streets of New York City, a cup of coffee in her hand. She looked up at the foggy sky, as a few strings of her curled hair got in her way and made her vision quite blurry. She stood in the spot and places her purse between her two feet, squeezing it between them. NYC, she knew, wasn't the safest place in the world, and it sure wasn't Stars Hollow. She tucked the hair behind her ear and bended down to pick up her purse. She slipped it back on her arm and kept walking.

-

He was sitting on the grass, under the shade of a tree, holding a book in his hand. He glanced up and looked around, frowning at the sight of the "Fresh Paint" signs on the benches. He looked down at his book. "How To Be Good" by Nick Hornby. The thing he liked the most about this book was its title. 'How To Be Good'. He never could answer that question. He couldn't even try.

He tried to read, he really did, but the weather got the best of him. Having his reading interfered by the movement of the pages wasn't exactly fun. He leaned back and closed the book, just before he quickly stood up. He placed the book inside the inner pocket of his jacket and took a deep breath. The air was filthy and he knew it. Smoke, grime, dust. But did he care? The air seemed clean. He never paid much attention to details, anyway. He slipped his hands into his jacket's pockets and started walking, not paying much attention to where he was going. He was doing what he always did – Trusting his intuition.

-

She just got off the subway. Even though it wasn't her favorite transportation motor, it was a unique experience. Yes, standing in a little place, crowded with people she had never met before was special for her. A smirk found it's way to her lips. It was quite amusing as she looked back and recalled that her first subway ride was in age 17. 

It was a nice day. Well, at least the beginning of it. She let out a small sigh. It was the last time she saw him. Her smirk quickly disappeared just as the train came to a stop. She quickly got off the train and looked around. Another strange place. It was exciting, but it was also equally scary. She threw her empty coffee cup into a nearby garbage can and slipped her hand into her coat's pocket, pulling out a folded map. She opened it, trying to locate the station she just got off at. Once she found it, she folded the map and threw it in her purse. She looked up, looking for an exit, and made her way out.

-

He started walking faster as he felt drops of rain falling on his head. He didn't bring an umbrella. He never brought an umbrella.

He could see his destination coming closer and closer – A little bookstore called "Lazy Eye". It was quite amusing. And attracting. But what he loved the most about this store was that, no matter how big NYC was, this store was small and friendly. Not that he was looking for something small and friendly. He likes big and, well, vague. But there was something that always made him go there. He'd never admit it, but he like the atmosphere in there. It reminded him of a place where he used to live for a short while. He'd never admit it, but deep down, he really missed that place. And not only because of the atmosphere. 

Letting out a sigh, he looked up and saw that he was standing near the entrance. He pushed the door open and stepped inside.

-

It's been a while since she was at Stars Hollow. Her home. Not only because of her little trip, but also because of college. She had a lot of things to finish up before the holidays, and she barely had time to go back and visit her mom.

She was getting her 5th cup of coffee, as she smelt it. Rain. A small grin spreaded on her face, seconds before she paid for the coffee and kept walking. Soon enough, raindrops has found their way down. She slipped her hand in her purse and searched for her umbrella. God forbid, she can't let the rain destroy her curls. It took her hours to make her hair look like that. As she found the umbrella, she quickly opened it and held it above her head, and brought the coffee cup to her mouth, taking another sip of the hot liquid.

She didn't look around, but all of a sudden, something caught her attention. She looked up at the small, old-looking sign. "Lazy Eye". The name caused her to chuckle. She kept walking until she was just a few steps away from the entrance. She peeked through the dark shop window. The peek, followed by a small, excited gasp, made her realize what she was so attracted to –

Books. Lots of them. Also, it was small, quiet. Not big and crowded, like NYC seemed to her. The old but modern structure of the place, along with the humble but respectable selection of books reminded her of her home. She walked over to the door and pushed it open, a little startled of the shrieking sound the door made as it opened. She looked around, excited as a little girl in a candy store. She walked inside the store, going over the shelves, scanning it, book by book. Accept for the old guy who sat by the cashier and counted his dollar bills, there was only one more person inside the store. She grabbed a book that caught her eye and walked over to the guy, assuming that he worked there.

"Excuse me?" she asked, looking down at the book, "Do you have that one in paperback?"

-

He was a bit surprised as he heard the door open. This store wasn't exactly popular. Most people prefer the big and crowded. He assumed it was the old guy's old wife, bringing him the same egg and turkey sandwich she brings him almost every day. He kept looking through the books, reading pieces of the descriptions on the back. He was so concentrated in his reading that he ignored that fact that instead of hearing the old couple arguing over the amount of pickles in the sandwich, the only sound that was heard was footsteps. The sound of footsteps stopped, just as it gotten louder. Still reading a description, he was startled by a voice. A familiar voice. "Uh, sorry…" He started saying, placing the book back on a shelf, "I don't work here." He kept saying, as he turned to face the person.

- 

Her eyes widened as the familiar voice echoed in her mind. She didn't even have time to think before he turned to her. She gasped in surprised. "Oh my god!" she called.

He looked at her, as shocked and surprised as she was. His mouth curved to a smile and his eyes lightened up as he saw the image standing in front of him.

"Rory?" 

She returned the smile and practically threw the book back at the shelf. "Jess!" she called, just before wrapping her arms around him.

He felt his heart stop as she wrapped her arms around him. He returned the gesture and wrapped his arms around her. He was waiting for someone to pinch him. He was waiting for the moment when he'll wake up, alone. 

But it never came.


	2. Reminiscing

**Disclaimer:** Most characters, places and shindigs belong to Amy Sherman- Palladino. Some characters are made ups. Title inspired by Nsync's "Falling". Chapter title inspired by 5ive's "Reminiscing".   
  
**A/N:** This chapter isn't the best. It's not that good; I'll say that now. But that's all I can do right now, so.  
  
**"Reminiscing"**  
  
She stood still in the place, in his arms. She closed her eyes, hoping to bring back some good memories. It's been about four years since she last had any contact with him. Sure, she came to NYC to visit him once. They talked on the phone a few times. They even exchanged addressed. But it came to an end. It was one of the things that caused the slight rip between her and her mom. When Lorelai found out that she has been still in touch with Jess after everything, she wasn't very happy about it. So they somehow stopped. And she still regretted it all. But being there, now, in his arms...  
  
-  
  
He was stroking her hair, slowly. He tried to act as friendly as possible. He missed her. It's been a long time since he saw her, and he missed her. He missed her more than anything. It felt like time was standing still. And remembering that it wasn't a public place they were at, it was kind of disturbing. He slowly pulled out of her embrace and stood in front of her, can't hide the fact that he's thrilled to see her. "What are you doing here?" he asked, half thrilled, half confused.  
  
-  
  
She felt a little disappointed when he pulled out, but she knew he meant well. She missed him like crazy; there was no doubt about that. She scanned him with her eyes, trying to see if he changed. It was funny - Four years had passed, and he still looked exactly the same as he looked the last time she saw him. She looked up, meeting his eyes. She couldn't help but smile. She saw the confusion in his eyes. "Me?" She asked. She knew the answer, but she asked anyway. Even though she asked, she kept talking. "I'm. On some sort of a road trip, you could say." she said.  
  
-  
  
His eyes widened a bit. Rory never seemed like the road-trip kind of girl. But he figured that she must have changed since he last talked to her. A lot of things went through his mind - Who was she with, where was she staying, was she thinking about him when she came to the city. But he stayed silent and let his eyes do the talking. He nodded, not quite sure of what to ask and what to keep inside. He shrugged, kind of an answer to his own question. Still uncertain of what to say, he decided to do what he really wanted to do at the moment. "You wanna get out of here?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.  
  
-  
  
She knew he was battling with himself. He used to do that a lot. She didn't quite know why he was doing so or what he was thinking, but it was just simply entertaining to watch him do that. She looked around and nodded at the same time. She could spend hours at this place, but there's always later, or tomorrow, or the next day. Who knows when she'll meet Jess again? "Yeah." she said, her voice low but confident. She looked back at Jess and smiled.  
  
-  
  
He simply looked away, scanning the area he already knows so well. "Coffee?" he asked, with that smirk playing on his lips. She just simply laughed. "Do you really need to ask?" she teased. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and started walking out of the store. She smiled and followed.  
  
-  
  
She was sitting at the other side of a small table, slowly sipping from yet another cup of coffee. He was sitting in the other side, moving a small plastic spoon in circles inside of a small plastic dish, containing ice cream. She was looking at him the whole time, still trying to read him. She chuckled and placed her half-empty cup on the table. "Enjoying your ice cream?" she asked, jokingly. He let go of the spoon and shoved the almost-full ice cream container away from him. "Can't people just use a cone?" he said, lightly irritated, before releasing a sigh. "Ahh." She responded, knowingly, letting her smile grow. A second later, the cup was back in her hand, heading towards her lips. He looked up at her and laughed weakly. They shared some cone-related talks in the past. He was a bit surprised that she still seemed to remember what he was talking about. She noticed that he was staring at her as she was taking her sip. She pulled the cup away from her lips and held the cup in front of him. "Do you want a sip?" she asked him, raising her eyebrows questioningly. He shaked his head slowly. "No thanks" he said, thanking her with a half-smile. She took another sip and placed the empty cup back on the table. They both sat there in silent, staring at each other, smiling. She felt as if it was getting a bit too awkward and looked down at the table. She cleared her throat, as if to get her attention. Not that she didn't already have it. "Is it too late to get some more ice cream?" she asked, looking back up at him. He raised an eyebrow in return. "In cones?" he asked, wonderingly. She nodded. "How else?" she responded as she grabbed her purse. He rose up from her seat and followed her out.  
  
-  
  
It was getting late. The sun was getting ready to set. They were walking down the cold streets, staring at their shoes. The road was the way to the subway station that eventually leaded both of them to the bookstore where they met.  
  
He wanted to break the awkwardness. "So..." he said, glancing at her from the corner of his eye, "Where are you staying?"  
  
She tilted her head to look at him. "Hotel 17," she replied, "It's in West Village".  
  
They kept walking in silence, as his smile just got bigger and bigger.  
  
She straightened herself up and turned herself to face him, walking sideways. "Where do you live?" she asked him. He looked down at the ground again. "West Village," he replied, not able to hide his smile. She gasped, surprised. "No!" she said, laughter escaping her throat. He simply nodded. Could it have been faith?  
  
-  
  
The subway came to a stop. They were silent as they stepped out of the train. They were silent as they walked up the stairs, meeting the cold evening. They stood there, facing each other.  
  
-  
  
She looked up at the sky, then down at the ground, then up at him. It was too early to say goodbye, but it was late. "I had a really good time today." She said, smiling sweetly. There was something inside of her, something that caused her to want more. But she just looked down again. "I..." she said, taking a deep breath. "I'm glad I ran into you."  
  
-  
  
He looked down at her, feeling the need to hold her hand, or to wrap his arms around her. His old feelings knocked on the door to his heart since the moment he saw her at the store, but he refused to let them in. Not now, not like this. But he was happy to see her. "Yeah." he simply said, looking up at the sky.  
  
-  
  
She looked at him, glancing at the sky. She wasn't sure if he was pleased of the day or if she just bore him to death. But whatever it might be, she was glad she saw him. "I better..." she started, turning towards the road, searching for a taxi. He reached out his arm and touched her on her shoulder, causing her to stop. "Hey..." he said in a rush. "Would you like to see my apartment?" he asked, half-smiling. She turned to him. She was happy about his suggestion, but she was also a little afraid. "What exactly are you suggesting?" she asked, half-jokingly, half-seriously. He wiggled his eyebrows. "You'll never know until you try." He said sarcastically, but her hesitant look changed his attitude. "I'll make you some more coffee." He said, adding a smirk for a stronger effect. She simply nodded. He offered her his hand, and she took it. They looked at each other, sharing some more quick glances and shy smiles. He led her to his apartment, his hand in hers.  
  
They both dreaded what they felt at the moment. But they didn't dare to stop.


End file.
